Five Drawing Supplies I can’t “live without”
Alright, so life will obviously still go on if I don’t have these supplies. But, I would be very grumpy about it.
That being said, as the BIG DAY approaches, most of us artists usually put a few art supply items on our Christmas lists (or in my case, that’s ALL that makes up my list). I’ve been making my “art supplies that I want” list, and checking it twice. There are supplies that I want to have just to experiment with, and then there are supplies that I consider my “staples”, which are supplies I feel that I must have in order to make the best artwork possible.
So that leads me into my bare necessities of drawing supplies I. Must. Have. Most are your typical supplies, and some are not so conventional. I thought I would share my list with you here, just in case you might be wanting to try a few out for yourself.
Before we get started, I have a few disclaimers:
1. All links I leave below are affiliate links, which mean that if you purchase through my link I will get a small (think REALLY SMALL) commission of your purchase at no extra cost to you- so I thank you greatly if you do decide to order through my links!
2. I’m not saying that you need these to make great artwork. I’m just sharing my favorites that I use on every single one of my graphite drawings.
So, lets jump right on into my list of five drawing supplies I can’t live without!
First and probably most important, is my PAPER. Except, and here’s the kicker, I don’t actually draw on paper at all. Well, not your typical paper. I draw on board, and I’ve tried many different boards- but the one I keep going back to again and again is Crescent Marker Board. This stuff is the bomb if you are looking for a smooth surface but one that can handle multiple layers as well as the occasional OMS wash. The other thing that I love about board is that it offers a durability that I love (no worries on it getting wrinkled or ripped) and since I sell most of my drawings that’s very important to me. You can get these boards on amazon in packs of 3.
Next are my pencils. I believe I’ve tried all. the. pencils. And yes, there IS a difference between brands. That being said, I really love Faber Castell’s 9000 series graphite pencil sets. They are fairly inexpensive, and the graphite is very smooth. A lot of times you’ll get a hard chunk in your pencil that feels like a small sharp rock or piece of glass. That can really ruin a piece for me if that hard chunk cuts into my board by accident. (this is why I stopped using my Prismacolor turquoise pencils) I’ve gone through a few sets of the 9000 series pencils and have never encountered a forbidden crystal hidden inside just waiting to ruin my drawing.
Now on to erasers. I do consider my erasers to be just as important of a tool as the pencil itself. So, I’ve tried tons and consider these two to be irreplaceable. First, your standard kneaded eraser. Pretty much all kneaded erasers are created equal, but I do like Faber Castell’s Kneaded erasers because they come in these nifty little boxes that I find very handy.
My other must have eraser is the Tuff Stuff eraser by Paper Mate. WORTH ALL THE MONEY. I can’t tell you how many eraser sticks I tested and they all were too flimsy. This one truly is “tuff”. I like it better than the Tombow Mono eraser. Seriously. I use an Exacto Knife to get a fine point and away I go.
Now with blending, I always have the ever versatile blending stumps-but in recent years I have discovered a new blending tool that I have found to be invaluable, which is the makeup brush. I LOVE LOVE LOVE blending with a makeup brush. I use a smudge brush for my finer details, all the way up to a face powder brush for even skin tones and smooth backgrounds. I’ve had better luck with using makeup brushes for blending rather than paint brushes, and I think it just boils down to the fact that makeup brushes were made for powdery substances, so they hold it better. I don’t know all the science behind it, I just know that they work for my techniques. Also, they are ccccchhhheeeeaaapppp! E.L.F. and Wet-n-Wild have extremely affordable makeup brushes in all sizes that I’ve used. Pictured is the one I use the most often. You can also get really cheap makeup brush sets on amazon if you’d like to try multiple brushes.
Alright so that’s the list folks! Like I said, these are the supplies that I cannot live without. Like, if I were to be stuck on a deserted island and could only bring 5 art supplies, these would be it.
What are your must have supplies? I’d love to know! Leave your comments down below.
Happy Arting!